At least 56 prisons died in Brazil prison riot

Brasilia: At least 56 persons have lost their lives in a prison riot in Brazilian Amazon. The riot erupted on Sunday afternoon and continued till 17 hours, said authorities.

About 12 guards were made hostage and several prisoners succeeded in escaping.

Calling it a worst massacre in the history of the state, Sergio Fontes, head of public security for Amazonas, said, “What happened in Compaj is another chapter of the war that drug trafficking imposes in this country and shows that this problem cannot be faced only by Brazilian states.”

Dozens of inmates were burnt alive while few were beheaded, he added.

Fontes also requested the government to take appropriate measures in order to put a check on drug trafficking.